# かげろう
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Derived as a verb from the noun 陽炎 (kagerō, “heat haze, heat shimmer”).
The shadow sense may derive instead from verb 陰る (kageru, “to become shady, to become shadowed”), as kagera (the 未然形 mizenkei, “imperfective form”) + ふ (fu, auxiliary verb indicating repeated or continuous action): /kaɡerafu/ → /kaɡerau/ → /kaɡerɔu/ → /kaɡerou/
That said, the kage in kageru is ultimately cognate with the kage in the noun kagerō.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かげろう [kàgéróú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ka̠ɡe̞ɾo̞ɯ̟]

#### Verb

かげろう • (kagerou) intransitive $^†$yodan
* (archaic) to shimmer, to flicker
* (archaic) to become shadowed, to fall into shadow

##### Usage notes

Only listed with 四段活用 (yodan katsuyō, “quadrigrade conjugation”), one of the conjugation patterns for Classical Japanese, indicating that this fell out of common use before the modern period. Note that the Volitional form in the table below should therefore be かげろわう kagerowau instead.

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | かげろわ | kagerowa |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | かげろい | kageroi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | かげろう | kagerou |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | かげろう | kagerou |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | かげろえ | kageroe |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | かげろえ | kageroe |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | かげろわれる | kagerowareru |
| Causative | かげろわせる かげろわす | kagerowaseru kagerowasu |
| Potential | かげろえる | kageroeru |
| Volitional | かげろおう | kageroō |
| Negative | かげろわない | kagerowanai |
| Negative continuative | かげろわず | kagerowazu |
| Formal | かげろいます | kageroimasu |
| Perfective | かげろった | kagerotta |
| Conjunctive | かげろって | kagerotte |
| Hypothetical conditional | かげろえば | kageroeba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | かげろは | かげろは | kagerofa |
| Continuative (連用形) | かげろひ | かげろひ | kagerofi |
| Terminal (終止形) | かげろふ | かげろふ | kagerofu |
| Attributive (連体形) | かげろふ | かげろふ | kagerofu |
| Realis (已然形) | かげろへ | かげろへ | kagerofe |
| Imperative (命令形) | かげろへ | かげろへ | kagerofe |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | かげろはず | かげろはず | kagerofazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | かげろへど | かげろへど | kagerofedo |
| Causal conjunction | かげろへば | かげろへば | kagerofeba |
| Conditional conjunction | かげろはば | かげろはば | kagerofaba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | かげろひき | かげろひき | kagerofiki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | かげろひけり | かげろひけり | kagerofikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | かげろひつ | かげろひつ | kagerofitu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | かげろひぬ | かげろひぬ | kagerofinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | かげろへり かげろひたり | かげろへり かげろひたり | kageroferi kagerofitari |
| Volitional | かげろはむ | かげろはむ | kagerofamu |

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

かげろう • (kagerō)
* volitional form of かげる (kageru) [godan]

### Etymology 3

Reading of various kanji compounds.

#### Noun

かげろう • (kagerō)
* 陰郎: during the Edo period, a boy kabuki actor who has not yet appeared on stage; a boy prostitute at banquets
* 陽炎: heat shimmer, heat haze
* 蜉蝣, 蜻蛉: a mayfly or dayfly; ephemera, something ephemeral or fleeting

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN